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It's increasingly looking like a new labor deal will not be hashed out by the start of the 2011 league year on March 4. While the subsequent lockout will preclude unrestricted free agents from signing new contracts and being paid substantial signing bonuses, the financial impact in the month of March isn't just limited to players looking to sign new deals.

Across the league, March is when clubs begin their offseason conditioning programs. By fully participating in these conditioning programs, players may earn a minimum of $8,120 as mandated by the CBA -- not exactly an incentive to participate in relation to what many players make over the course of a season. Some player contracts, however, contain workout bonuses that pay well above the CBA-mandated $8,120 for participating in at least 85 percent of the workouts.

In the case of the Redskins, there are seven players whose contracts contain pure workout bonuses. The bonuses total $1,337,000 in potential earnings that could be missed if an extended lockout precludes the Redskins from having an offseason conditioning program. Topping the list is cornerback DeAngelo Hall, whose contract contains a $500,000 workout bonus, and quarterback Donovan McNabb, whose deal has a $250,000 workout bonus. This list also includes players like tight end Chris Cooley and linebacker London Fletcher, who each have $100,000 workout bonuses.

Not included in the $1,337,000 figure are players like defensive end Vonnie Holiday, nose tackle Ma'ake Kemoeatu and guard Artis Hicks, who have roster bonuses predicated on participation in at least 85 percent of the offseason conditioning program.

Offseason conditioning programs typically run until June. The longer it takes the league and the union to come to an agreement on a new CBA, the more difficult it will be to reconcile how to make up for players' lost wages from offseason programs.

J.I. Halsell spent two seasons as a salary cap analyst for the Washington Redskins and now pens a blog entitled "Under the Cap" for FootballOutsiders.com. Follow him on Twitter at @SalaryCap101.

Actually, when some players begin to miss out on money, then that is when the real grumbling will start. It isn't real until that first paycheck doesn't show up. Now, the players should be pushing back to the union to reimburse that amount if a deal hasn't been struck before that date. They pay the union a lot of money to make sure they get paid. The union is falling down on their job when they can't come through with the money.

carlson made the mistake that led to the first goal of the game. he was called up at the end of last season and played well, but he's making alot of mistakes this year. only three penalties in last nights game.

I don't see any settlement on the horizon. The owners want that money back they gave up in the last collective bargaining agreement and I think they'll get it. This will get as ugly as a REDSKINS season anytime in the last decade excepting the GIBBS reprise of course.

Alright folks...if this passes for breaking Redskins news, then I think it's time for another hot chick discussion. With Adrianne Palicki being named Wonder Woman, do you think she's a good pick for the role or should NBC producers go another direction?

If it were my call, I would have gone with Malin Akerman...smokin' hot and she's shown she can rock the hell out of a superhero costume:

I like Halsell as well, but since the league and union just announced yesterday that they will use federal mediation and are sitting down for 7 straight days of negotiation- Can't we maybe get more creative than the standard "It's looking more and more like there won't be an agreement/season/etc..." tag line?

Every article about the NFL feels compelled to open with some form of this!

I hope the producers of the new Wonder Woman show don't give us the ridiculous spectacle of her piloting an invisible plane while still plainly visible herself. Isn't a reclining, flamboyantly dressed, gorgeous Amazon zipping through the air at MACH I more conspicuous than say...a normal airplane?

"You should come down (or up) for the Bluefish Derby, in September...
www.mvderby.com"

if your gonna do it, come up and do the Monster Shark tourney in July....

Posted by: BeantownGreg1 | February 18, 2011 8:30 AM

Yep Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts..rode a boat at that tourney a few years ago... its all a blur now.. booze, blood (shark's), bikinis that went topless once we left shore..(as is the Vineyard tradition). Then more blood when they had the sharks hanging upside down at the Oak Bluffs pier.
good times.. burrrp..

Posted by: PlayAction | February 18, 2011 9:55 AM
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She has this sixth sense that is very similar to the one we all use to find our car the morning after a night of hard drinking. Or maybe she just has LoJack.

I hope the producers of the new Wonder Woman show don't give us the ridiculous spectacle of her piloting an invisible plane while still plainly visible herself. Isn't a reclining, flamboyantly dressed, gorgeous Amazon zipping through the air at MACH I more conspicuous than say...a normal airplane?

Posted by: MColeman51 | February 18, 2011 9:50 AM
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Yeah, Wonder Woman the character never really interested me. I used to watch the Lynda Carter series because of getting to see the bod, but really the whole premise is stupid. Invisible planes? Magic lasso's? Please. What they need is the Kick Ass version of a Super Heroine. Obviously she still needs to show off the bod, but let's see someone who actually gets beaten up from time to time. And trade in that magic lasso for twin mini-guns...

Mark Schlereth: Control freak Mike Shanahan should let his coaches coach
Posted by Michael David Smith on February 18, 2011, 9:51 AM EST
Mark Schlereth played for Mike Shanahan for six years in Denver, getting to a Pro Bowl and earning two Super Bowl rings along the way. Schlereth says Shanahan is a great coach, and he thinks Shanahan has the ability to succeed with the Redskins.

But Schlereth also thinks Shanahan needs to let go and stop trying to do everything.

“I would say the one criticism I have is a lot of times he’s such a control freak that he doesn’t allow his coaches to coach,” Schlereth said on Mike and Mike in the Morning. “I think that’s an issue. You have to have a system of checks and balances where you can argue, you can fight and you can say, ‘We’re not going to do it that way.’ I don’t know that he still has that in the place that he is now, or at the end of his tenure in Denver.”

In other words, it’s Shanahan’s way or the highway, and if one of his assistants has an idea that conflicts with Shanahan’s, he doesn’t want to hear it. Hiring his son as his offensive coordinator and an old friend as his defensive coordinator is consistent with that.

Schlereth said Shanahan’s refusal to let his coaches coach is largely because he thoroughly enjoys the detail-oriented aspects of coaching more than he enjoys the big picture.

“He loves that stuff,” Schlereth said. “I think that’s one of the toughest things for any coach to do is let go of that stuff.”

“There’s no question of his ability to coach,” Schlereth said. “I think that goes unquestioned. The guy has won championships before. I really believe putting guys in positions to win, offensively, I think he’s done that exceptionally well.”

At least, he did it exceptionally well in Denver in the 1990s. In 2010 in Washington, not so much.

Don't know why any of these highly overpaid "professional" athletes should need to be motivated with extra bonus money to stay and report in shape.

This sort of system is also rife with abuse -- such as, recall when Portis laughingly boasted a couple of off-seasons ago that he decided to forego the couple hundred thousand in "chump change" for staying in shape, presumably because his "pockets" were already "straight."

And we won't even mention Haynesworth's earnest "promise" to get into the best possible shape of his career during the last off-season -- despite foregoing all of the team's optional and most of the mandatory off-season conditioning and training programs.

Mark Schlereth: Control freak Mike Shanahan should let his coaches coach
Posted by Michael David Smith on February 18, 2011, 9:51 AM EST
Mark Schlereth played for Mike Shanahan for six years in Denver, getting to a Pro Bowl and earning two Super Bowl rings along the way. Schlereth says Shanahan is a great coach, and he thinks Shanahan has the ability to succeed with the Redskins.

But Schlereth also thinks Shanahan needs to let go and stop trying to do everything.

“I would say the one criticism I have is a lot of times he’s such a control freak that he doesn’t allow his coaches to coach,” Schlereth said on Mike and Mike in the Morning. “I think that’s an issue. You have to have a system of checks and balances where you can argue, you can fight and you can say, ‘We’re not going to do it that way.’ I don’t know that he still has that in the place that he is now, or at the end of his tenure in Denver.”

In other words, it’s Shanahan’s way or the highway, and if one of his assistants has an idea that conflicts with Shanahan’s, he doesn’t want to hear it. Hiring his son as his offensive coordinator and an old friend as his defensive coordinator is consistent with that.

Schlereth said Shanahan’s refusal to let his coaches coach is largely because he thoroughly enjoys the detail-oriented aspects of coaching more than he enjoys the big picture.

“He loves that stuff,” Schlereth said. “I think that’s one of the toughest things for any coach to do is let go of that stuff.”

“There’s no question of his ability to coach,” Schlereth said. “I think that goes unquestioned. The guy has won championships before. I really believe putting guys in positions to win, offensively, I think he’s done that exceptionally well.”

At least, he did it exceptionally well in Denver in the 1990s. In 2010 in Washington, not so much.

Sounds like the league really, really F_'d up the Superbowl. I guess it goes beyond the 400 who didn't get their seats. Man. If you can't get seats for the execs from the paying sponsors, who can you get seats for?

Something else I have wondered about is Charlotte Jones' - Jerry Jones' duaghter's - involvement in the Super Bowl fiasco. I know she was on the committee to get the Super Bowl there and I know she put together the Thanksgiving half time show. How much involvement did she have in the Super Bowl fiasco and how hard is Daddy trying to keep her name out of the press?

Fox and PFT have it so you know it's legit. I guess they tried to trade him last year when he got hurt. I doubt Fox keeps the ZBS anyway so he is expendable.

Posted by: PAskinsfan17 | February 18, 2011 10:36 AM
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I heard John Fox is taking the Bronco's back to a 4-3. I think this makes for some interesting trade possibilities between Denver and Washington since the Redskins will be offloading some 4-3 players they might want.

I heard John Fox is taking the Bronco's back to a 4-3. I think this makes for some interesting trade possibilities between Denver and Washington since the Redskins will be offloading some 4-3 players they might want.

Posted by: RedSkinHead | February 18, 2011 10:55 AM

Wow...that would be a beautiful thing if we could pull it. Even if we just sent them Carter and AH for Jamal Williams straight up I'd take it. Williams is from D.C. and at worst would be a one-year stopgap at NT. If I'm Bruce Allen, I'm on the phone with Elway right damn now, labor unrest be damned...

I doubt Joseph hits the market, but if he does that would be a GREAT haul...

Brandon, I totally forgot about Dumervil...if they go to a 4-3, he goes back to being a marginal DE and they almost have to trade him. Coming off a season-ending injury, he should be available at a reasonable price too...

Posted by: brandon_in_cali | February 18, 2011 10:59 AM
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Nothing so grand. Maybe Carter for Hunter, or something like that. Haynesworth for a bag of chips would be a good trade, but Fox won't want him.

Let's compare the Schlereth comments/article in February 2011 to ZEKE's comments in November of 2010:

Schlereth: “he’s such a control freak that he doesn’t allow his coaches to coach. You have to have a system of checks and balances where you can argue, you can fight and you can say, ‘We’re not going to do it that way.’ I don’t know that he still has that in the place ...”

ZEKE: Shanahan has absolute power to do what he wants in DC. No checks, no balances. He is a control freak that understands power.

Schlereth: Schlereth also thinks Shanahan needs to let go and stop trying to do everything.

ZEKE: Of all the changes Shanahan will need to make, the one that maybe most important is to find someone he can trust to handle some of the key responsibilities he currently takes on himself. Simply put, I think a major problem with this team is that Shanahan is trying to do too many jobs.

Doesn't Ryan also play guard? If Brown stays and is healthier than last year, having a quick, strong guy like Ryan at Guard would work wonders for this O-line. Not to mention he'd be a players coach as well with his experience with the system.

Brandon, I'd be willing to part with a 2012 pick for him since we have an exta 4th rounder from the JC trade...I'm sure with 4-3 players we don't need and a conditional pick, we could make something like that happen for Dumervil...

And stop with the Kalil stuff...dude will get punished by NTs and I'd bet the house he's the guy the Panthers franchise...

fixed it for ya...that island weeds out the poor/middle class...they don't suffer the non-rich...

Posted by: BeantownGreg1 | February 18, 2011 10:30 AM

Agreed...
Its bizarre when you see the group houses (mostly Brazilian occupied) in Vineyard Haven... In the summer, they're sleeping a dozen in a room on the floor, within site of 20 million dollar water front homes (second homes).

What's ur answer for our starting center?? I'm not sure if there's a center out there worse than him at actual protection, run n pass. I kno he's calling card is the line calls but that would make him a good coach to me, not necessarily a good player, he's way way past his prime....

Ya it's like when I was in the navy, if it makes to much sense don't even bother mentioning it because they want you to be confused, keeps questions to a minimum.

Sadly I couldn't root for us to do much worse than last yr. We ended with 6 wins but I think we were 4 or 5 plays away from 2 wins. Atleast the game I went to was a W, season opener vs Dallas, orakpo getting held that game is what I think started the non calls against him.

Maybe Carter for Hunter, or something like that. Haynesworth for a bag of chips would be a good trade, but Fox won't want him.

Posted by: RedSkinHead | February 18, 2011 11:18 AM

You can't trade Carter. He has a no-trade clause. Trade him and it voids his contract. He's due a large bonus this off season so the Redskins will cut him instead of paying it. He's going to be a free agent.

I hear ya Nate. The only caveat would be if Sanders would be willing to adjust his style of play and be more of a safety net than enforcer. He has been one of the most fearless/reckless defenders I've ever seen during his career. He needs to tone it down to stay in the league and prolong his career. But then who knows if he's anywhere near as good if he's not going 1000 miles an hour?

Unfortunately LL is headed the same direction. You saw it this year with his injuries. Guys like these are awesome to root for as fans, but they simply can't stay on the field playing the way they do.

What's ur answer for our starting center?? I'm not sure if there's a center out there worse than him at actual protection, run n pass. I kno he's calling card is the line calls but that would make him a good coach to me, not necessarily a good player, he's way way past his prime....

Posted by: brandon_in_cali | February 18, 2011 11:42 AM

Don't get me wrong, Kalil is a good player...it's just that power ain't his game (he's barely 290 pounds) and I doubt he's a guy you could count on to go toe-to-toe with beefy NTs and win. For the money it would take to sign him, it won't be worth it, IMO.

I just think we're better off either drafting a guy or going with Lichtensteiger there in the meantime (he's better suited at C than LG). Baby steps...

Alright, before y'all get carried away on Bob Sanders, he's not a FS...he's a SS. Which is one of the few positions on defense we DON'T need to address.

Secondly, he's played 9 games the last 3 years and missed 39. Even at the veteran's minimum it's sketchy to rely on a guy to be a starter for you when he can only get on the field an average of 3 times a year.

Plus, he's going on 30...even if he comes in healthy, he probably won't stay that way for long.

It's sad because he's such a dominant player when he is healthy...but it's been proven on a near-annual basis (he's only played more than 6 games twice in his career) that he can't hold up under the rigors of a full NFL season.

As for Dumervil, he's too small to be an every-down DE in a 4-3 but as a 3-4 OLB, he's about the same size as James Harrison so it works better for him to stay there. If Denver is smart, they'll get something for him before he goes from a young James Harrison to a reverse Andre Carter...

Neither. Robert Sands, aka the predator, aka the sandman. 6'5 225. Can prob be had in the fifth round.

"Sands, who is from southern Florida, said he tries to model his game after Kenny Phillips, Ed Reed and Sean Taylor."
Joe Schad is a college football reporter for ESPN.com.

Dude was know as one of the hardest hitter in the league. Is a 6'5 ball hawk. They stopped throwing to his side. WV runs a 3-3-5 odd stack, which equates well into a 3-4 as far as Dback play is concerned.

Ah and im down with Elvis, he is one of my fav players. I was jk'in cause people up here said Von Miller is to small to make it as a 3-4 OLB. Im like whaaa dude gets to the QB and there all like naw man to small cant be done. Elvis can get it done but i dont see how we get him. We would have to give a lot up. He lead the league in sacks two years ago.

I usually agree with most of ur stuff but lichtenscrotey as the starter???

I'd take will Montgomery over him. I kno licht is a shanny guy but unless he's gotten some unsung talents I pray he's not the answer

Posted by: brandon_in_cali | February 18, 2011 12:09 PM

Keim at the Examiner crowed about him being a better C than LG damn near all season...said it was part of the reason he struggled at LG. I'd be willing to see what he's got in training camp and have him compete with Monty.

I just don't wanna spend top dollar chasing a guy who is probably gonna have similar struggles against opposing NTs. We've got decent enough options in place to address it in next year's draft if we can't get one this year.

I was jk'in cause people up here said Von Miller is to small to make it as a 3-4 OLB. Im like whaaa dude gets to the QB and there all like naw man to small cant be done. Elvis can get it done but i dont see how we get him. We would have to give a lot up. He lead the league in sacks two years ago.

Posted by: Stu27 | February 18, 2011 12:27 PM | Report abuse

Does Von Miller have it on the game tape?

That's what I care about.

Vernon Gholston was supposedly had prototype size/speed/strength/athleticism for a 3-4 OLB - now the Jets are trying him at DE one last time before taking him to the dump. The knock on Gholston was that he didn't bring it consistently on the game tape.

zc, i've seen it once, but one of the players was a defenseman from the other team and not three offensive players. sorry i missed it, i fell asleep during the second period. caps sure do struggle playing at the shark tank. i think it's been 17 years since we've won there

Anywho - Is there a benefit cap-wise to teams that are cutting players now, as opposed to after the March 4 deadline when CBA expires?

Posted by: p1funk | February 18, 2011 12:52 PM | Report abuse

From a team salary accounting perspective, there is no benefit to the club in releasing players such as Shaun Rogers or Bob Sanders at this juncture, as neither had bonus money coming due in March. If anything, the clubs have helped the player hit market sooner, as these players are now street free agents and may sign contracts immediately.

From a team salary accounting perspective, there is no benefit to the club in releasing players such as Shaun Rogers or Bob Sanders at this juncture, as neither had bonus money coming due in March. If anything, the clubs have helped the player hit market sooner, as these players are now street free agents and may sign contracts immediately.

RE: Dumervil- terrible fit for the 4-3. In July 2010, Dumervil signed a six-year $61.5 million contract extension (including $43.168 million in guaranteed payments) to keep him with the Broncos through 2015.

zc, i've seen it once, but one of the players was a defenseman from the other team and not three offensive players. sorry i missed it, i fell asleep during the second period. caps sure do struggle playing at the shark tank. i think it's been 17 years since we've won there

Posted by: hessone | February 18, 2011

Here's a bit more on that shot from The Hockey News:

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Even though Dan Boyle took the shot on what proved to be the game-winning goal for San Jose, he didn't even get credit for an assist after the puck ricocheted off four sticks before making its way into the net.

Boyle's point shot deflected off a defender and two teammates before Dany Heatley got the final tip on the power-play goal that helped the Sharks beat Washington 3-2 Thursday night for their 14th win in their last 15 meetings with the Capitals.

Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton ended up with the assists on the play after the puck glanced off their sticks before getting to Heatley, costing Boyle a point on the stat sheet but helping the Sharks get two needed points in the standings.

"Unbelievable, those three guys," Boyle said. "It is what it is, a win. A bunch of greasy forwards we got."

They are very diffrent players. Gohston had a much bigger frame and wasnt a sole sack specialist. Better run stopper. Von is smaller and a staight get to the QB specialtsit. Von suprised a lot of people in the senior bowl when he did great in pass coverage.

Bottom line, Vernon was never talked about as being the best pass rusher over multi years because he wasnt one of the best,

Von has exactly what you seem to desire, consistency. He played though injuries and had 11 sacks this year after having 18 last year. Not sure he has ever had more then 3 in a game so they are spread out.

Somebody has to be there at #10. If those 2 QBs grade out well then that's even better for us. you can list the prospects you think are going in the top 9 and there's still going to be 2-3 really great players for us to choose from.

Maybe Carter for Hunter, or something like that. Haynesworth for a bag of chips would be a good trade, but Fox won't want him.

Posted by: RedSkinHead | February 18, 2011 11:18 AM

You can't trade Carter. He has a no-trade clause. Trade him and it voids his contract. He's due a large bonus this off season so the Redskins will cut him instead of paying it. He's going to be a free agent.

Posted by: beep-beep | February 18, 2011 11:55 AM
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Everyone keeps saying that but I've read he could waive that clause for a deal that works out better for him - and moving to a 4-3 team would be better for him.

RE: Dumervil- terrible fit for the 4-3. In July 2010, Dumervil signed a six-year $61.5 million contract extension (including $43.168 million in guaranteed payments) to keep him with the Broncos through 2015.

Posted by: Diesel44 | February 18, 2011 1:26 PM | Report abuse

Diesel...Saying Dr. Doom is a terrible fit for the 4-3 is entirely unfair.

I live out here in the Denver market...when McDaniels came in, Dumervil, his agent, the fans and media were up in arms that he was going to be moved from 4-3 DE to 3-4 LB. It was very contentious.

He talked about not reporting/wanting a trade to a 4-3 team. The guy had come off like a 13 sack year playing DE in the 4-3. Also he was forcing fumbles all over the place, no T could block him he was so fast and low to the ground.

The fact is, Elvis Dumervil is a bad mofo. He can play in 1 3-4, a 4-3 a 5-2, a 1-6 you get my point. He's awesome regardless of scheme.

Everybody's building the big ships and boats
Som are building monuments, others jotting down notes
Everybody's in despair, every girl and boy
But when Quinn the Tar Heel gets here everybody's gonna jump for joy
Oh come all without, come all within
You'll not see nothing like the Mighty Quinn
Come all without, come all within
You'll not see nothing like the Mighty Quinn.

Did you know that Lorenna Bobbit went through rabbinical training just so she could do bris shti?

Posted by: PsyOps | February 18, 2011 1:36 PM

Used to live on the block next to the corner that her husband's part was finally found by the police. Everytime I jogged by, there was a half dozen police looking through the grass around that intersection.... I realized I had jogged 2 feet from it each day when they eventually found it...of the side of the road. arggh

A little trivia.. I believed she worked at a hair salon called Snippets... Cant make this stuff up...

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